Meter.



M. CORNINE.

METER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1910.

1 1 O8, 1 Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IX/1' Mm coco 5] mm nio'c $51 QHOZHMAM) THE NORRIS PETERS CO4, PHO7D LITHO-. wAsnlNcmN, D. C.

M. CORNINE.

METER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1910.

1, 1 08,140. Patented Aug. 25, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

z a C r lXhws 24 442 O THE NORRIS PETERS CO. FII II-Llllill lvllaHINGYUN, D. C.

MARSHALL CORNINE, OF NEW YORK, Y.

METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed January 18, 1910. Serial No. 538,597.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL CORNINE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to meters, particularly such as are used for measuring the consumption of illuminating gas.

One feature consists in setting the flag wires, which operate the valve mechanism, at some angle other than a right angle, to the central vertical line of the meter. When I say vertical, I mean a line passing through the meter in that direction, considering the meter as ordinarily set.

Another feature, consists in locating the crank part of the said crank shaft beyond the edge of the diaphragm bellows; another in setting the valves and valve seats substan tially parallel with said crank parts or at other than a right angle to the said vertical line; another, in the peculiar manner in which I connect the bellows to the rigid part of the meter; another, in so forming the case of the meter that it can be struck out of soft steel by suitable dies and the necessity for soldering can, to a large eX- tent, be eliminated; another, in the manner of connecting the valve operating crank di rectly with the shaft of a pointer or hand of the meter index; also in various details more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1, of the drawings is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a gas meter embodying my invention, some parts of the index mechanism having been removed and some parts of the valves and connections being shown in section to more clearly exhibit the various parts. Fig. 2 is a view of the device, partly in section and partly in full lines. Some of the parts were omitted to insure clearness. Through the valve chest 7 it is taken on a line passing vertically through port 20. (Shown in Figs. 2 and 3.)- Through the bellows chambers, it is substantially cent'ral. Fig. 3, is a plan view of the interior of the valve chest, the operating mechanism having been removed and the walls of some passages being shown in section. Fig. 4, is another plan view of the valve chest, showing the valves and connections in position.

to receive and hold the 5 represents the barrel of the meter, preferably a metal cylinder, with flanges 6, 7, covers 8, 9, which are preferably secured by bolts 10, and nuts 11, a gasket 12, being usually interposed to make a gas tight joint. At the top, I provlde a valve chest 14, preferably rectangular 1n horizontal cross section, and with a flat top or cover 15, which may be securedso as to be gas tight-in any suitable way. The bottom edges of the side walls of this chest are shaped to fit the adjacent form of the barrel and are permanently secured thereto, though I do not limit myself to a device in which the walls of the valve chest and those of the other section are not integral. For convenience and beauty of design, the length of the valve chest, from right to left, is preferably less than the diameter of the barrel. Barrel 5, is preferably divided into two substantially equal separate compartments 39, and 40, by a metal diaphragm 16. This is to permit the use of two bellows, substantially independent, since smoothness and certainty of action is better accomplished thus than with a single bellows. Ports 17, 18, open from the valve chest into cross passages 19, 20, and extending thence, preferably to about the center of the barrel, are passages 21, 22, the first, 21, leading to and opening, through port 25, into a bellows 23, within compartment 39, and the other 22, leading to and opening through port 26, into a bellows 24, within compartment 40, of said barrel. The valve chest is also provided with an inlet 27, leading from a union 29, into, and opening within the valve chest, and there is an outlet 28, leading from a passage 30, which by cross passages 31, 32, is connected to ports 33, 3st. I also provide a port 35, opening from the valve chest into a passage 37, which leads to and opens into compartment 39, preferably at its circumference, and a port 36, opening from the valve chest into a cross passage 38, leading to and opening into the compartment 40, preferably at its circumference. Instead of inlet 27, and outlet 28, I may use an inlet 27, on the side of the valve chest and an outlet 28, also on a side of the valve chest. The ports 17, 33, and 35, as one set, and 18, 34, 36 as another set, are so formed and arranged that their edges compose valve-seats, preferably set at angles one to the other, that one may be governed by a slide valve 41, and the other' by a similar, but reversely set, slide valve 12, arranged to reciprocate in the valve chestlt. These slide valves e1, 12, are preferably provided with rods 43, 14, 45, 46, running through the guidelugs 47, 49 (not shown in Fig. 1), 48, 50, to insure their moving in the desired planes, and to said slides I secure valve stem 51, 52, preferably hooked fast, the inner ends of which have eyes by means of which they are connected to the cranks 53, 5 1, of a shaft 55, mounted in the pillow blocks 56, 57, extending up from the bottom of the valve chest or in some other suitable bearings.

On the inner end of the shaft 55, I mount a disk 58, provided with a crank pin 59, and this crank pin I prefer to set in a slide 60,

a working in a groove 61, cut in the disk 58,

and held in adjustable position in said groove by a screw 62, threaded through an extension of slide 60, and passing through a fixed part of the disk 58, with the head exposed for convenience of adjustment. The

shank of the screw, preferably has rotary but not longitudinal movement in the fixed part of thedisk. From the crank pin 59, pitman rods 68, 64, extend to what are called flag wire arms, 65, 66, secured in some way to the ends of so called flag wires 67, 68, which extend through sleeves 69, 70, and down in to the respective compartments 39, 40. The sleeves 69, and the parts of the flag wires 67, 68, which are surrounded by the sleeves are each provided with very finely cut threads, male for the wires and female for the sleeves, and the fitting of the threads of the wires in the threads of the sleeves is such that it makes substantially gas tight joints and I am enabled to dispense with the usual tallow charged stufling box, for preventing the passage of gas from the compartments 39, 10, to the valy e chest 14, through the space between the wires and the sleeves. These compartments 39, 40, are each, as already noted, provided with a vibrating diaphragm or bellows, constructed as follows: A circular piece of soft leather 71 or 72, is crimped until it has the form of a thin disk shaped vessel with a flange proj ecting inwardly from its molded circumferential edge and has a small circular opening at the center. The edges of this central opening are secured, with a gas tight joint, to a preferably metal disk, the one shown being numbered 74, of somewhat smaller diameter than. the circle of leather, but similarly perforated, and provided with a threaded coupling flange 75, or 76, firmly secured to the disk and to the leather and adapted to make a screw joint with the walls of port 25, or 26, of the passage 21, or 22. The disk 73 within bellows 2 1 is not visible, but it is similar to disk 74. Another disk 77, or 78, preferably of the diameter of'73 or re as the case may be, is also provided and this too is perforated and provided with an outwardly projecting flange adapted to fit snugly over the flange or 76. Still another disk 79, or 80, is firmly secured to the inwardly projecting flange of the leather part of the bellows. Having fitted the neck of disk 77, over the flange 75, of disk 74:, the thread of port flange 25, is entered in the thread of flange 75, and by pressing the rims of disks 74, and 77, tightly together and holding them thus, the disk 74-, may be turned down over the wall of the port 25, so as to make a tight joint and draw disk 74-, and disk 77, closely together and so tightly down upon the intervening leather that they will be held firmly together; Heretofore in making such bellows, it has been customary to cut or leave a. central aperture in the disk 79, through which a nut on the wall of port 25, could be reached and turned down tightly to lock the disk, the leather and the port flange together, after which the aperture in the disk 7 9, was closed by soldering a circle of tin over it, but my arrangement of devices just described renders such cutting and mending of the disk 79, unnecessary and furthermore permits the separation of the bellows from the wall of port 25, for purposes of repair or examination, without destroying the other parts. The other bello vs compartment is similarly constructed and its bellows similarly secured to the flange of port 26. Then across the outer face of disk 79, I secure the flag wire or crank shaft 67, turning in sockets 81, 82, secured to said disk 79, at suitable points, preferably equidistant from the center. This flag wire extends to a point approximately at the circumference of the bellows, is there bent sharply at a substantially right angle to its preceding length, to form a crank 83, then again sharplyat a substantially right angle to the crank part to form the shaft part which extends through sleeve 69, and constitutes the projecting flag w e 67, within the valve chest 14. Another flag wire, similarly formed, mounted and connected with its crank 84, forms the transmission mechanism from the second bellows to flag arm 66.

An index, not specially claimed herein, is mounted in a box on the face of the valve chest and operated by means of shaft 55, which extends through its rear wall and becomes the shaft of one of its hands or pointers, an appropriate train of gears from this shaft sulficing to operate the other hands of the index.

The operation of this meter is as follows: The parts, including the covers being secured in place, the union 29, is connected with a source of supply, the outlet 28, with the service pipe extending to the burners to be fed and the gas turned on. Immediately the valve chest fills with gas. Assuming that the valves are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, this gas will pass down through the open port 17, cross passage 19, downwardly extending passage 21, out at port 25, into the front bellows 23, forcing disk 77, outwardly, turning the crank of the flag wire 67, and swinging the flag arm 65, to the left. l/Vhile gas is thus passing into the front bellows, the slide of valve 41 spans ports 33, and 35, thus providing a continuous passage from compartment 39, to the service pipe, via passage 37, port 35, valve 41, port 33, cross passage 31, outlet passage 30, and outlet 28, its movement therethrough being compelled by the pressure of the swelling bellows upon the gas in compartment 39. As the movement proceeds, pitman 64, passes the center, the valve 41, begins to close port 17, shutting off the gas from bellows 23, the fiat part of the slide closes port 35, terminating the exhaust through it and valve 42, begins to uncover port 18, via which the gas passes by cross passage 20, and downward passage 22, to and through port 26, into the rear bellows 24. In moving to open port 18, the valve slide shifts so that its arch spans ports 34, and 36, furnishing a: passage from compartment 40, through cross passage 38, port 36, arch 42, port 34, passage 32, passage 30, and outlet 28, the pressure to produce the movement being furnished by the gas which swells the bellows 24. Before port 18, is entirely closed, port 35, opens and through it, by passages already obvious, the gas enters compartment 39, and by the spanning of 17,'and 33, by the arch of slide 41, an ex-,

haust passage is opened for bellows 23. Then port 35, closes, 36, opens and the way is clear for gas to enter compartment 40, and substantially synchronous spanning of ports 34, and 18, opens the exhaust from bellows 24. These movements comprise the cycle of the meter, further movement being only a repetition of those described. The purpose of thus setting the valves is, that before one compartment has finished exhausting gas, another of the four compartments may begin taking gas and its complemental neighbor shall begin to exhaust and that the successive filling of one compartment afterthe other and the coincident exhaustion of the complemental ones, shall be evenly spaced, that is, that equal volumes of gas shall pass between the time of the movements of one valve and that of the movement of another, that the feeding of the gas may be smoothly effected and juniping or undue flicker of the lights at the burner jets may be avoided. To do this by means of a rotary shaft, requires that each act shall begin when the shaft has made one fourth of a rotation from the commencement of the previous act, otherwise the spacing would be uneven and the action intermittent and ragged. Again, it will also be noted that the flag arms are each on center twice, once at the long limit of the stroke and once at the opposite limit of said stroke, and at these times the other flag arm must-be in position to deliver power, or the meter would stop. Power is only to be had by the movement of the bellows walls-communicated by the disks 7 9, and 80, thereto a.ttachedand as they each make two movements, one out and the other in, there are only four power movements, consequently the quarterly division. As to the amount of power and the degrees of throw of the flag arms, it will be noted that I produce the power and secure the requisite throw by an entirely novel arrangement, Instead of vertical flag wires joined to the center of the bellows disk by rigid crank arms, and therefore capable of but few degrees of throw, since the throw is measured by the length of the bellows stroke applied at the end of a long arm, I extend my flag wires, used as a variety of crank shaft, across the center of the bellows disk and locate the crank at a place where it will not interfere with the inflation of the bellows, the more convenient location for the purpose being just beyond the periphery of said bellows. By so doing I can make my crank arm of such length as I select and, by using a short or a long cran give to the flag arms 65, 66, a throw of many or few degrees as my purpose demands, which permits the use of much larger valves in proportion to the size of the bellows, than do other forms. The use of larger valves increases the capacity of the meter, by permitting the more rapid passage of gas through the valves, allowing a small meter to be used where now a large oneis necessary, as the arrangements for power provide more power for a given size of meter than before and so raise the capacity of that meter by permitting, as already stated, the use of larger valves. This is a matter of great importance. Then too, I have arranged my flag wires so as to be inclined to the hori- Zontal. This enables me to use longer flag arms than I otherwise could in alimited valve chest, and as their planes of movement will also incline to the horizontal, it also enables me to operate directly from them, a horizontal shaft, which may be integral with a hand or pointer, thus avoiding the wear and consequent lost motion, and the catching and the want of reliability always attendant upon moving an index by means of a long series of gears, particularly if some are set atright angles to the others.

This would be practically impossible with wires set vertically and connected to flag arms whose attached ends at least, would move in substantially horizontal planes. One would not get past dead center on one side so as to be able to transmit an onward movement to the crank pin, when the other had reached the dead center, and consequently powerless position on its side. The throw of these arms when connected to a crank pin such as 59, would be such as to lock the mechanism against any regular and orderly movement. I have also set the valves and the port faces, constituting the valve seats, on an incline as I thus gain more space for their arrangement within a valve-chest of given width from side to side, thereby permitting larger ports, longer spaces of feed and the passing of a larger quantity of gas through a meter oia given size than with other arrangements, thus meetii'ig the insistant and continued call for greater delivery from a meter of given size and greater exactness of operation.

llhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination in a meter, of a bellows composed in part of a flexible diaphragm, substantially impervious to the passage or gas, with acentral opening, a rigid wall surrounding said opening, secured to said diaphragm and provided with an engaging device and a disk extending on that side of the diaphragm which is within the bellows, a compartment containing said bellows, a conduit leading into said compartment and provided, at its inner part, with engaging means adapted to engage with the engaging means connected with the diaphragm, a disk between the flexible diaphragm and the inner wall of the compartment, but outside of the bellows, and a closure for the bellows opposite to the side which is in contact with the disk within the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

2. In a meter, the combination of a valve chest, a gas compartment provided with a bellows, a flag wire connected to said bellows and extending through to the valve chest, and therein set at a given and permanent angle to a vertical line passing through said valve chest, and means for connecting the flag wire and the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

3. In a meter, a collapsible bellows with a central opening, a conduit leading to a point opposite the said central opening in the bellows and provided with an opening sur rounded by a flange having engaging means, a rigid disk located within the bellows and provided with an aperture whose wall is provided with engaging means adapted to engage with and be thereby secured to the engaging means on the flange of the conduit,

and a further disk on the outer side of the bellows and between it and the main wall of the conduit, all substantially as set forth.

1-. The combination of a conduit having a flanged port wall, provided with engaging means, and a collapsible bellows, said bellows being provided with an apertured and flanged internal rigid disk having a second engaging means adapted to engage with and be secured to the engaging means on the port wall flange and a secont disk on the other side of the bellows and between it and the passage wall, apertured to permit the insertion of the flange of the first disk, and pro vided with a flange surrounding said aperture, proportioned to fit closely between the diaphragm of the bellows and the port wall, all substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a conduit having a wall with a flanged port the wall of said port being provided with a screw thread, a collapsible bellows, said bellows, though elsewhere closed, being provided with an apertured internal disk provided with an opening, flanged and threaded, said flange being adapted to engage and make a tight joint with the screw thread on the flanged port wall, and a flexible diaphragm extending to and secured about the flange of the aperture in the internal disk, all substantially as set forth.

6. In a meter, the combination of a conduit having a screw threaded flanged port, a collapsible bellows, said bellows, though elsewhere closed, being provided with an apertured internal disk provided with a screw threaded flanged opening, said flange being adapted to engage and make a tight joint with a screw thread on the port flange, and a second disk outside the bellows and provided with an aperture adapted to fit over the flange of the internal disk and be held tightly against the bellows wall when the two threaded flanges are screwed together, all substantially as setforth.

7. In a meter the combination of a valve chest and a bellows, with a flag wire comprising a part extending partly across the face of the bellows and pivoted to said bellows, a crank part located near the edge of said bellows and an extended part, reaching from the crank part into the valve chest and there provided with a flag arm, together with means for connecting the flag wire and the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

8. In a meter the combination of a valve chest and a bellows, with a flag wire comprising a part extending partly across the face of the bellows and pivoted to said bellows, a crank part located near the edge of said bellows and an extended part, set at an angle to a vertical line through the meter, reaching from the crank part into the valve chest and there provided with a flag arm, to gether with means for connecting the flag wire and the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

9. In a meter the combination of a valve chest and a bellows, with a flag wire comprising a part extending partly across the face' of the bellows, at an angle to a vertical line through the meter, and pivoted to said bellows, a crank part located near the edge of said bellows and an extended part, reaching from the crank part into the valve chest and there provided with a flag arm, together with means for connecting the flag wire and the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

10. In a meter, a valve chest, a valve therein, set at an angle other than a right angle to a central vertical cross plane through said chest, a flag arm, which is substantially parallel to the plane of movement of the valve and a flag wire, adapted to operate said flag arm, all substantially as set forth.

11. In a meter, a shaft set horizontally and adapted to be used as an indicating finger shaft, together with a crank and crank pin on said shaft, a flag arm, means for connccting said flag arm to said crank pin, a flag wire set obliquely to a vertical line through the meter and provided with a crank, means for connecting said flag wire to the flag arm, a bellows, and means for connecting the flag wire to the bellows, all substantially as set forth.

12. In a meter, a bellows, a shaft set hori- Zontally and adapted to be used as an indicator shaft, a disk secured to said shaft and provided with a slide carrying a crank pin, means, substantially as set forth, adapted to vary the throw of said crank pin, a flag arm, means for connecting the flag arm to the crank pin, a flag wire connected to the flag arm and means for connecting the flag wire to the meter bellows, all substantially as set forth.

13. In a meter, the combination of a bellows compartment and a valve chest, provided with a port, a bellows in said compartment, connected with the port in the valve chest, a flag wire pivoted to said bellows and provided with a crank located near the edge of the bellows, and set at an angle to that part of the fiag wire within the valve chest, an extension of said flag wire projecting obliquely into the valve chest, a flag arm connected to said flag wire, and adjusted as set forth whereby it will be substantially at right angles to the flag wire, a valve seat, whose face is substantially parallel with the flagarm, provided with ports opening from the valve body into the valve chest, a valve controlling said ports and provided with a valve stem, a horizontal shaft mounted in said valve chest, and adapted to operate an indicator, a valve stem crank on said shaft and a flag arm crank on said shaft, means for connecting the valve stem crank and the valve stem and means for connecting the flag arm crank on said shaft and the flag arm, all substantially as set forth.

' l l. In a meter, the combination of a bel-' lows compartment, and a valve chest provided with a port; a bellows in said compartment, a conduit connecting said bellows with the port in the valve chest, a flag wire pivoted to said bellows and provided with a crank, located near the edge of the bellows, an extension of said flag wire projecting obliquely into the valve chest, a flag arm connect-ed substantially at right angles to the flag wire, a valve seat, whose face is substantially parallel with the flag arm, provided with ports opening from the valve body into the valve chest, a valve controlling said ports and provided with a valve stem, a horizontal shaft mounted in said valve chest, adapted to extend through the dial plate of the meter and constituting an integral indicator shaft, a valve stem crank on said shaft, and a flag arm crank on said shaft and means for connecting the valve stem crank and the valve stem and means for connecting the flag arm crank and the flag arm, all substantially as set forth.

15. In a gas meter, the combination of a valve chest and valves therein, and duplicate bellows compartments, each bellows compartment being provided with a bellows, separate conduits, leading from the valve chest to each bellows compartment and to each bellows, a conduit leading from the outside into the valve chest and one leading from a valve controlled conduit to the outside, obliquely set .valve seats for the valves in said valve chest, which respectively control the conduits to and from the respective bellows compartments and the re spective bellows, a shaft mounted in said valve chest substantially parallel with the line of movement of the centers of the bellows, cranks on said shaft, valve stems, means for connecting the valve stems to respective cranks on said shaft, flag arms, means for connecting the flag arms to the flag arm crank on said shaft, flag wires extending obliquely into said valve chest, connected respectively to said flag arms, and provided with cranks and arranged to pro ject partially across the faces of said bellows respectively and pivoted thereto, and means substantially as set forth, whereby the throw of said flag arms may be varied, all substantially as set forth.

16. In a meter, a valve chest, a bellows compartment, a screw threaded flag wire extending from the bellows compartment into the valve chest, and a screw threaded sleeve surrounding said flag wire and opening at one endinto the valve chest and at the other into the bellows compartment, the

threads on said sleeve and those on the said tWosubscribing Witnesses, this 15th day of Wire being formed as described whereby January, 1910.

they constitute a gas seal, all substantially MARSHALL CORNINE. as set forth. lVitnesse-s:

5 In testimony whereof I have signed my A. G. N. VERMILYA,

name to this specification in the presence of 1 WILLIAM K. GILOHRIST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

